Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,466 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

Jump to prices
Maldives
Sofia, Bulgaria
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,466
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 19.8% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: The Maldives is 23.1% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.56 MVR 101
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-60.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.9 MVR 784
$67.7 BGN 118
-24.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 MVR 151
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-16.10%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.81 MVR 74.2
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.45 MVR 146
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.32 MVR 51.1
$3.41 BGN 5.93
-2.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 MVR 24.24
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-33.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 MVR 4.62
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-82.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.99 BGN 6.94
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.53 BGN 7.88
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 MVR 28.06
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-6.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 MVR 24.62
$1.55 BGN 2.70
3.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 MVR 19.64
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-45.96%
Eggs
$1.81 MVR 27.98
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-60.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.35 MVR 97.9
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-44.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.48 MVR 99.9
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-25.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.11 MVR 156
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-41.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 MVR 61.3
$2.15 BGN 3.73
85.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.88 MVR 44.39
$1.98 BGN 3.45
45.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.83 MVR 59.1
$1.83 BGN 3.18
109.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.50 MVR 38.62
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-41.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 MVR 30.40
$1.04 BGN 1.82
89.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 MVR 28.98
$0.89 BGN 1.54
111.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.99 MVR 30.75
$1.19 BGN 2.06
67.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 MVR 9.95
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-21.69%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$11.26 MVR 174
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 MVR 38.02
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.62 MVR 71.3
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.08 MVR 233
$4.40 BGN 7.66
242.73%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.42 BGN 12.91
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.16 BGN 2.01
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.90 BGN 3.30
-
🚌 Getting Around
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 MVR 9.66
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-31.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.53 MVR 440
$28.11 BGN 48.91
1.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 MVR 30.63
$1.67 BGN 2.90
19.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 MVR 29.46
$0.85 BGN 1.49
124.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.20 MVR 157
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-38.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 MVR 15.87
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-40.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K MVR 354.7K
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
-23.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K MVR 405.4K
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
5.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$132 MVR 2,029
$158 BGN 275
-16.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.97 MVR 447
$21.27 BGN 37.01
36.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.9 MVR 1,063
$15.12 BGN 26.30
355.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.3 MVR 961
$46.85 BGN 81.5
33.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.33 MVR 329
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-23.33%
Cinema Ticket
$9.21 MVR 142
$10.00 BGN 17.39
-7.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 MVR 2,716
$815 BGN 1,419
-78.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,713 MVR 72.7K
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-67.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.35 MVR 576
$87.1 BGN 152
-57.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.01 MVR 756
$38.28 BGN 66.6
28.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.3 MVR 1,315
$106 BGN 184
-19.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.7 MVR 797
$107 BGN 187
-51.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$933 MVR 14.4K
$769 BGN 1,338
21.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MVR 10.2K
$593 BGN 1,032
12.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 MVR 29.3K
$1,530 BGN 2,662
24.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 MVR 22.9K
$1,061 BGN 1,846
40.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,602 MVR 40.1K
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-42.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$774 MVR 11.9K
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-75.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maldives
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MVR 11.7K
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-57.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
2.89
384.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the Maldives: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Maldives
$665
Sofia
$593 10.8% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maldives
$229
Sofia
$194 15.4% $35
Groceries & Markets
Maldives
$219
Sofia
$288 31.6% $69
Eating Out
Maldives
$129
Sofia
$254 96.3% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Maldives
$101
Sofia
$152 51.4% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Maldives
$81
Sofia
$67 17.2% $14
Getting Around
Maldives
$43
Sofia
$38 11.4% $4.9
Good to know
🇲🇻 Maldives
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
04:41 4:41 AM
01:41 1:41 AM
3 h behind the Maldives
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
436,330
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
📈 Exchange rate
100 MVR = 6.49 USD
100 MVR = 5.78 EUR
1 BGN = 0.575 USD
1 BGN = 0.512 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.31 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Maldives Sofia 6,530 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Maldives
  • Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

Maldives
United States
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,466
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,720
/mo nomad
Maldives
Turkey
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,466
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,218
/mo nomad
Maldives
India
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,466
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$400
/mo nomad
Maldives
Pakistan
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,466
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$482
/mo nomad
Show more

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